Traditional video systems using video standards such as NTSC, SECAM or PAL have used interlaced fields of captured video representing objects or panorama in motion. Interlacing of fields was needed in order to overcome the bandwidth limitations of early video and broadcasting standards and to match the properties of cathode ray tubes (CRT) screens. The horizontal scan lines of each interlaced frame are numbered consecutively and partitioned into two fields: the even field, or top field, consisting of the even-numbered lines (0, 2, 4 . . . ) and the odd field, or bottom field, consisting of the odd-numbered lines (1, 3, 5 . . . ). For example, the even field of the first frame of a video recording is displayed first followed by the odd field of the first frame. Subsequently, the even field of the second frame is displayed followed by the odd field of the second frame, and so on. Most current electronic display panels or monitors displays progressively each frame of captured video representing objects or panorama in motion, where each frame is completely displayed before the start of the succeeding frame. For example, all of the horizontal scan lines of the first frame are displayed followed by all of the horizontal scan lines of the second frame, and so on.
A video camera captures a scene for a specific duration of time and produces in accordance with a video standard many sequential frames or fields, each of which is a representative digital image of the scene at a particular moment in time. Normally in progressive video systems, each digital image is referred to as a frame having a defined number of horizontal and vertical pixels. The number of vertical pixels corresponds to the number of horizontal scan lines. A frame rate is also specified that represents the number of frames being captured or displayed per second. Normally a sixty fields per second is specified for United States television broadcast using interlaced NTSC video standard. Thus, a thirty frames per second video source can be used to generate the sixty field by decompiling each frame into top and bottom fields. The film industry have standardized on twenty-four frames per second. Therefore, in order to broadcast a movie having twenty-four frames per second video using interlaced TV standards a conversion process must be applied to produce sixty fields per second video. In addition, a progressive video display system capable of displaying sixty, seventy-five or one hundred-twenty frames per second, which are easily available on the market nowadays, is required to perform a procedure to appropriately de-interlace the received sixty fields per second to produce video frames at the higher frame rate with minimal distortion or artifacts and remain cost effective.
Consequently, how the video frames are generated and constructed provide for how they should be processed and displayed so that the original scene is faithfully reproduced when these video frames are displayed in sequence. In order to reproduce the original scene timing, each video frame, within the sequence of frames, must be reproduced and displayed in a predefined amount of time that matches the time allotted to its capture, and as mandated by the video standard being implemented. Hence, the time required to process and display each pixel is limited and finite. Electronic display devices resolution is specified as having X by Y pixels for each frame, and by the vertical refresh rate of how many frames per second can be displayed. The higher the resolution of the electronic display device is, the better the image that is being reproduced, this includes total number of pixels displayed per frame and total number of frames per second. As the electronic display panel technology advances to an ever-higher resolution, a bigger challenge to the device electronics is to be able to process data information for each pixel within an ever-smaller amount of time.
The processing demands on electronic circuits for High-Definition television (HD TV), e.g. 1,920 pixels wide and 1,080 pixels high, is much greater than a Standard-Definition television (SD TV), e.g. 720 pixels wide and 480 pixels high. The next generation of digital TVs, recently developed, will be able to display four times the high definition resolution of current HD TV sets. This Quad-HD set is capable of displaying 3,840 pixels wide and 2,160 pixels high. This presents a challenge to the processing circuitry, where the input image resolution, type, or standard determines additional processing power needed to display properly the image at the high resolution. This especially important if the input image content having sixty interlaced fields of an original twenty-four frames per second film is to be displayed using a HD or Quad HD electronic display panel.
The need arises to provide an electronic system capable of efficiently and appropriately reconstructing the correct sequence of fields of a video recording so that the video recording is reproduced and displayed faithfully using a high-resolution electronic display panel. Marseille Networks' 4×HD™ video technology delivers the ability to process digital images to be displayed in 3840×2160 resolution, while selectively removing artifacts and preserving stunning image details. Furthermore, Marseille Networks is the first to introduce Quad-HD solution to home theater systems. Marseille Networks' 4×HD™ video technology provide an efficient system with ample flexibility and processing power for blending, scaling and displaying various types of video frames or fields, including High-Definition video streams, to be displayed over Quad-HD or high-resolution display panel.